Communicating clear messages in creative ways can be frustrating. Sometimes, no matter how good the delivery of your message is, the meaning gets lost in the artistry.
Like many others, I struggle on a daily basis with trying to develop my skills as a strong leader.
I know in my heart that I have the potential to be a leader, but proving that to myself and others oftentimes becomes difficult. I tend to get bogged-down in the everyday routines and focus more on the short-term than the long-term. Instead of being a visionary leader, I focus on what I need to do to get through the day. Call it my survival instinct.
One thing that I find helpful is learning from other leaders. I am fine with reading books on leadership, but I am a very hands-on learner — for me to learn and grow most effectively, I need to interact with leaders, not just read about them.
Last Thursday, I had the privilege of having lunch with Jon Edmiston, the Director of Information Technology & Communications for Christ’s Church of the Valley in Peoria, AZ. CCV is an awesome church; they are reaching thousands of people all over Phoenix for Christ. When it comes to leadership, this church has a great deal to offer.
The most important lesson I learned from our meeting was that I appreciated Jon’s willingness to spend part of his day pouring into an aspiring leader from another local church. I’m sure Jon had 100 different reasons why having lunch with me would be too much of an interference in his week, but he still chose to take the time to share his knowledge — that is true leadership, and I appreciate it. A lot of other leaders might not have given me the time of day.
As I continue to develop into a strong leader, I hope to always remember that I did not get there on my own. I know that I will tap into hundreds of different leaders in my journey to becoming an effective leader. As I grow, I want pour my knowledge into others with the same willingness that Jon had in pouring into me last week.
Just came across this photo of me and Palm Valley’s own worship leader Derrick Logan at a recent praise team rehearsal:
Brent and I just finished melting some faces on Guitar Hero II and now the girls are downstairs rockin’ out to “Sweet Cherry Pie.” I think it is hilarious to watch the girls play because they are both REALLY good. Nothing makes me more in love with Heidi than when I see her playing lead on “Symphony of Destruction“.
Rock on Bay, rock on.
My mission was to find and eliminate all minions of the evil Emperor Zurg.
It wasn’t until the end of the mission that I realized my wingman, Nathaniel, was a covert agent — actively working to destroy the Alliance. This photo shows the exact moment of my realization:
Unfortunately, before I could fire a shot, the undercover alien/robot/mouse/pirate cracked me over the head with a concealed churro that he acquired before the mission. The head wound was minor, but cinnamon and sugar in the eyes hurts something fierce.
I gave chase, but the churro dust severely impaired my vision. I lost the enemy as he boarded a Star Tours spacecraft bound for the moon of Endor.
You have won this battle, Nathaniel, but I have direct orders from Buzz Lightyear himself to find you and force you into a lifetime of imprisonment in “its a small world“.
You better hope I never catch you.
My good friends Tommie and Kyle Dyer recently returned from their wedding on May 5, 2007. As the above picture illustrates, Kyle clearly married for looks and Tommie married for … um … personality. 
Actually, this marriage is uniquely special for me because these two were the first couple for whom I did premarital counselling. I had an awesome time walking with Tommie and Kyle as they dreamed of and prepared for their lives together. I especially enjoyed watching their excitement because it reminded me of when Heidi and I got married. That is a day I could live over and over again.
With this being my first premarital counseling, I am tempted to put a limited warranty on my work. I only say that jokingly, though, because I know that this marriage is not founded on anything that I ever said or did, but on Christ and His grace and love — and with Christ at the center, you can be sure that this marriage comes with a lifetime warranty.
Tommie & Kyle, it was truly an honor for me to be a part of your wedding. Thank you for that gift.
Congratulations and best wishes!
Sometimes I set out to write thoughts that are simple and to-the-point, but tend to end up with a long post because I continually think of more to say.
That’s all I wanted to tell you.
This past week has certainly been eventful. While the week itself has not been particularly busy or stressful for me, I have had the chance to experience some incredible things:
Thing 1:
Yesterday morning, our great friends Brent & Jessica Hodges had their first child. Mason Hodges came into the world at 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 21 3/4 inches long. Heidi and I went to visit them in the hospital to hold the little guy and congratulate Brent and Jess. We could not be happier for the two (three) of them; I know that they are going to make great parents. We love you guys!
Thing 2:
This past Sunday marked the pinnacle of the Seize the Moment capital campaign at our church. What I found amazing through this campaign is seeing the faithfulness of both God and the members of Palm Valley. Our Leadership Commitment Event a few weeks ago was a testament to the faithfulness of the church leaders, and Sunday was a testament to God’s faithfulness.
As most of you probably know, Pastor Greg, was in bad shape on Sunday. You can read about the details on his blog, but I was encouraged to see so many people pray for him and then to see God to give Greg the perfect amount of grace/energy/ability to communicate what he needed to communicate. Obviously, God wasn’t going to let anything hinder the message that Palm Valley needed to hear. Sometimes, having Satan attack is a cool thing because it gives God the chance to show up big. I think He did just that.
Thing 3:
Last Friday night and most of the day Saturday, Heidi and I got to watch Noah Rudd, the son of our other great friends Justin & Bethany. Most of you know that we have wanted kids for some time now and this past weekend was a great, albeit short, test-run for us. In an effort to clearly show us just what we are asking God for, Noah started his day at 5:30 a.m. Other than the fact that he is a morning person, he is a great kid.
We loved having the chance to see a glimpse of what life will be like with a child. I got to get him out of his crib in the morning, we both got to play with him, we got to take him to Lowe’s to shop for gardening equipment, I even changed my first poopy diaper (definitely one of the less appealing events in child-rearing). Still, it makes me look forward to the day when Heidi and I are finally blessed with a child of our own. I hope that our kid can be as fun, cooperative, and cute as Noah.
Thing 4:
On Sunday, we also met and held Connor Bewley, the newly adopted son of Troy & Alison. It was fun for us to see a great couple so proud of the child they have prayed so long and hard for, but it was also good for our hearts to see that God is faithful even if it is not on our timeline.
We waited a long time to meet you Connor, and we’re glad you’re here.
The first few weeks are the hardest — that I know from experience.
I have started countless New Years resolutions and/or personal betterment plans in my life, and I have learned that determination tends to have a shelf-life. Mine is usually between two and three weeks. I’m on week two now.
Week one of the MG2 Project went pretty well. Since I have so many goals in this project, I planned on implementing them progressively over time so as not to bury myself early. Week one was primarily devoted to focusing on bettering my spiritual life through regular devotional times and prayer. I am happy to report that I accomplished my goal of setting aside the time I need each day before work to begin my mornings with God. It is definitely a refreshing change of pace to begin each day praying to and praising Him.
To help get me jump-started, I bought two devotional books — one for home and one for work — that I plan to read through every day. Eventually, I hope to dive deeper in my study of the Bible, but these two books are great starting points for me:
If you remember, please say a prayer for me to stay consistent with my devotional times. If I accomplish nothing else with this project, I want to deepen my faith in Christ and communicate with Him more regularly so that I can become the husband, friend, and (one day) father that God would have me to be.
Coming up in the next update:
P90X – Show me your “bring it” face…
